Child Care
by Sart Von Berchingen
Summary: Centuries after Alucard, Aono Tsukune would've thought he'd pass by peacefully as a village doctor, isolated from the greater part of the World. A call from an old friend bids him to take upon a request. One in which he finds much hesitation upon hearing as it includes being the babysitter of three little girls for a month...


**Yeah. Yeah. I've disappeared again. College has my head down and ass up for its figurative spiky length to plunge into. So since I'm out of school until the next two weeks. I guess I got time for this. Same chapter, but I made a few edits. **

**I also decided to do something a bit similar to what I've always done in my older works. Like an additional side story at the very end of this chapter as a little treat for some of you guys. Based on your responses to that, I might make a separate story for that on my spare time if I can.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

/START CHAPTER/

"…So noisy," a disoriented tone muttered tiredly.

The annoyance kept ringing, solid, sharp, and continuous. Like a siren, it assailed the ears. Slowly he gritted his teeth from frustration and as a sign of his growing awakening. Slamming a hand on the alarm clock, the sharp onomatopoeia stopped. A groan escaped the lips as he brought the time mechanism into the blanketed lump.

"Seven fifteen," he observed glumly with sleep still in the eyes before sighing.

Flicking off a switch, his hand laid the silent machine back on top of the night table situated next to his bed. He sighed again, an attempt to start up his lungs like a locomotive hissing in its wake, and sat up. The awakened individual could feel that his raven hair was bed-frazzled from the earlier slumber. A shiver shot through his whole being, turning towards the window on the left, he could see the sunlight that was assailing his eyes this time as it peeked through the openings of the dark blue curtains.

Squinting, instinct told him it would be cold despite the sunshine as he peered through the glass window. The male finally left his bed and trudged towards the bathroom, only to be interrupted by the incessant ringing of a phone.

He groaned again.

Slowly increasing his pace, he almost ran towards the softer ringing tone. Picking it up, he answered in a tired voice, droning.

"Aono Clinic, this is Doctor Aono. Unfortunately, we're closed right now. The clinic is open from Monday to Friday. Business hours are at nine-thir—"

The monotone voice was cut off with a single name.

"Tsukune-san?"

He blinked in response. Silence filled between the two for a while. A plethora of memories was going to flood the mind except Tsukune could hear the owner of the voice calling for him.

"…Akasha?" he answered back, his tone was obvious of hesitation and confusion.

"Hey," he could hear her using that same weak tone and imagined her small smile over the receiver.

"Long time no see."

"Yeah. I haven't seen you since Moka."

"I was busy," he replied promptly with a small smile of his own and then slowly leaned on the wall to get comfortable in the midst of this conversation. "Being a village doctor in the backwater side of Japan… Well, what can I say? You sometimes get loaded with work without an assistant…Not to mention student loans."

He said the last part in a mutter.

He sighed at the pause with memories of the debt returned to his cranium. His ears could hear her giggling at his current situation.

"I bet you're a bit famous with the girls there," Akasha continued with a teasing tone in her voice. He could almost see her smile spreading deviously over the phone, causing him to sigh in chagrin, before rolling his eyes at the statement from mock exasperation.

"C'mon, Akasha, both you and I know I'm not marriage material. I like being a bachelor," he scoffed.

"Right…" he could hear the doubt in her voice, but promptly ignored it.

"So… How did you get my phone number?" the doctor asked, curious as to how she procured the information.

"Ah…" She replied as if awakening from a daydream. "Mikogami told me."

He frowned at the response, and then let out an exasperated sigh.

_I should have known…_

Returning his attention back at the receiver, "So, what does the Mistress of all Vampires require of me?"

The address caused Tsukune to smile, teasing her with the usual mock title. He could imagine the female's stern expression on the other side of the phone.

"Issa-san needs to get to the meeting." The tone of her response was hardly matching the atmosphere of what he was going for.

He snorted again with a tad of indignation at the euphemism of the vampire's lavish parties.

"Doesn't he always?"

"But, I need to go with him…"

"Come again?"

"I'll be gone for… A month with him, this one's a little bit special…"

Blinking as he absorbed the information, Tsukune's eyes widened in realization of what she was talking about. "Wait a minute. He's calling in the whole Council? What for?"

There was a silence between the duos. The doctor swallowed a silent gulp as a slight tension became apparent in the air.

"…The blood," she answered after a moment, almost cryptically.

He immediately knew what she was talking about. The blood of the True Ancestor. It was coursing through her veins at this very moment, a curse from her last encounter with Alucard. But she wasn't the only one with it.

"…Does this have to do with Moka?" he inquired tersely of her, "Are they finally talking about what to do with her?"

The silence on the other end was evident. A groan escaped his lips as the fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was evident dread between both sides.

"Issa and I can handle them…" the vampiress stated slowly, albeit uncertainty creeping on her tone, "It's just that… There's been some mishaps recently at the castle."

"…Mishaps?"

"We've been attacked for the past few days," she started to fill him in as the grasp on the receiver slowly tightened. "I need to send the kids to you for a month at least…"

His brown eyes stretched wide open at the time period.

"A month?!" he yelped, as his earlier tensed face adopted a façade of disbelief, "Wait, Akasha. I know the counsel about the Shinso blood is going to take about that long, but… You're sending them over here?! I'm sure not being marriage material includes not being good with kids, you know?"

Akasha retorted with an irritated tone, "It's only a month! Of all people, you're the only one who can look after them! I'll even pay off your student loans if I have to and—"

"Wait," He interrupted her firmly with an even and calmer tone, "look, Akasha. This isn't going to work. Besides, I don't see how you're so worried about their safety when your servants and the barrier—"

"That's the point. It's useless."

"…What?" His tone quavered, signaling his disbelief at the news and stayed silent for the while to absorb the information until, "Who?"

"No, it's not that," She spoke with rising frustration, hinted in her tone and hesitation. "But, someone knew about our defenses. They knew how the barrier worked this time. They were really prepared for us…"

There was a temporary pause. The hesitation was apparent, but he let her finish despite the absurdity.

"We have traitors in these walls that helped—"

"The Vatican," Tsukune finished for her. The silence on the other end agreed with him.

"Did you contact Mikogami about this? Does he know?"

"I did. But he wasn't informed. Not in the least."

"I see."

"Please," she pleaded over the receiver, "Help me. Help them."

Silence filled the receiver again. A quiet awkward moment ensued between the two. The cogs in his mind were already whirring to wrap the situation around his head. But before he could ponder further, Akasha called him again to disturb his thoughts.

"Tsukune…?"

He sighed once more, this time from his nostrils as he slightly pouted his lips to the left to show displeasure. There wasn't really any choice, he supposed. They knew where Mikogami was, so sending them there isn't a good idea even if he could hold his own. The Church knew where he was. Touhou was too inaccessible, since air travel wouldn't be safe at the moment

.

As for Gyokuro… Perish that thought. She of all people would be the last choice. Though, after all, it goes without saying that she'd be present at the meeting too.

"Alright," He reluctantly gave in. "I'll take them in."

"You will...?" There was disbelief in her voice, and it was starting to tremble.

"Yeah. "

Tsukune waited for those two words as he imagined her collecting herself out of the wave of emotions in her diminutive being.

"Thank you."

/

_**(Several Years Ago…)**_

_"I guess it was worth it." I watched Akasha hold a newborn in her arms, swaddled in a blanket._

_It was still few days after the birth. Already, Moka seemed so vibrant and full of life despite sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms. A matter of perspective, really. I watched the adult vampiress busying herself with the babe; cooing and rocking the infant in her arms. Watching the two, I could see the biological "bonding" had already been made._

_"Hmm?" She looked back at me, obviously missing what I had muttered under my breath. "Did you say something?"_

_I shook my head in response and kept staring at Moka._

_"She's beautiful isn't she?" The pinkette softly uttered._

_I agreed, equally soft. "She is…"_

_We were both silent as we continued to watch her doze off._

_"So that's where you were."_

_I heard a familiar deep tone from behind. Turning around, I came face to face with Issa, Akasha's husband. By every standard, he fit your stereotypical description of a Victorian vampire, complete with the dark, neat raven hair._

_"Ah, you're here too."_

"_Good morning, Lord Shuzen." I greeted the vampire with the necessary respect required to the owner of the household/castle._

_He merely nodded in my direction. At least he acknowledged my existence._

_"Did you sleep well?" Issa's wife asked._

_"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, work calls."_

_With a nod fashioned as a bow of some sort, he turned and left._

_"Are you staying over for breakfast?" Akasha asked, looking at me._

_I shook my head as a negative. "I've got work to do as well."_

_"Surely you can at least stay. You're this baby's savior—"_

"_I'm busy."_

_I was about to turn and leave, before my eyes couldn't help but feel slightly fixated on the babe in her arms. Sleeping peacefully, with her cheeks slightly flushed with blood. My left hand grasped into a fist as I envisioned the dark knowledge that she possessed that "blood"._

_"Tsukune?"_

_"Hmm?" I woke up from my own thoughts, blinking to show my own 'daydreaming' and false innocence._

_"Anything wrong?"_

_"…No. I'll see you later."_

_I took one last look at Moka. Peaceful… But for how long? And when?_

_I wouldn't last too long… Not when it's eating at my consciousness. My sanity. I walked away, leaving the castle behind me._

/

He waited with bated breath. His whole being was on the verge of shaking again. Noticing his symptom, Tsukune found himself swallowing a pill again. Still, he was nervous. It was almost six. The clinic has already closed at five.

The individual felt something enter the barrier he had placed at the clinic's perimeter, a pulsating vibration, only felt by him as the master of the magical construction. Judging by what it was telling him, there were five life signs. One being the chauffeur, which was a given. Another being Akasha. Familiar. But the last three….

Their Youki were a tad small.

_A bit above the average vampire child,_ he deemed.

He knew vampire children were rare, and as such, they were zealously protected. Most of the time. A sigh of relief came from him. Three couldn't be too bad, could it?

Tsukune picked himself off his seat, knowing that he shouldn't keep them waiting, so upon exiting the clinic he was just in time to see a limo enter his view. He couldn't see the passengers since the windows were tinted, but he stood, watching as the limo pull over close to him. The engine shut off as it silenced, and the door to the driver's seat opened for the chauffeur to do his thing, opening the door for Akasha and the children.

She was first to exit, greeting the raven-haired man with a smile.

"Hey."

"Hi."

A pregnant silence permeated between them as their eyes met each other. It seemed as if it would've gone together if someone hadn't called out for the Shinso vampiress.

"Kaa-sama, Moka-san being a meanie again!"

A harsh and even tone retorted. "No, I'm not! Mother, she's lying."

Tsukune's heart skipped a beat at the mentioning of that name… And the voice.

"Now, now…" the vampiress was attempting to placate two of the three girls inside the car, "Be good girls will you?"

Akasha looked back with an apologetic look as she helped the three children exit the sleek vehicle. The first was a rebellious appearing orange head with pigtails. Short as expected, just taller than his knee as she adopted a furrowed frown at Tsukune's appearance. The said person raised an eyebrow and returned back with a small smile.

"Kahlua-san, I can't move if you don't go."

Almost as if by cue, a curly-headed blonde exited the dim depths of the car into the bright sun. Timid was what best explained the child in his midst. Almost fragile, pretty ironic considering she was a vampire, one of the most feared Youkai in existence.

"…Hello."

Tsukune widened his smile in response, "Hey there."

The blonde known as Kahlua stared back down at the ground while hiding behind the long, maroon dress Akasha wore as she peeked out a tad warily. Looking back, he was just in time to see what could be said to be the main attraction. The burnish-silver haired girl exited the car and looked up with her scarlet irises already scrunched irritability from the earlier bout with her sister.

_So this is Moka._

"Is that all?" He inquired of the matriarchal Akasha.

She nodded and looked back at the three children, slightly kneeling to reach their shorter height while gesturing towards the plainly dressed male.

"This is my friend, Aono Tsukune. Say hello to him, girls."

As if being directed by the hand, itself, they continued to stare at his figure, draped in a white coat with stethoscopes around his neck.

"Akasha-san," the blonde girl murmured out in worry to get her attention.

"Yes, Kahlua?"

"…Are we getting shots?"

The two adults and the chauffeur stared at her for a moment before guffawing in laughter at her question, filling the area with their reactions while the other two daughters seemed worrisome of their fate in the "office". Tsukune and Akasha noticed Kahlua was blushing furiously in embarrassment.

Reacting first, Tsukune laid a hand on her curly hair in a reassuring pat.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he quirked a slightly amused smile which soon turned into a warm one. "I'm sure you're not sick right now. Besides, kids like you don't get sick that easily. So, what's your name?"

There wasn't a prompt response as she looked up at Akasha for another reassurance. A smile and a nod from the pinkette was enough for her.

"Shuzen. Shuzen Kahlua," she hesitated while looking up at him.

"Nice to meet you, Kahlua-chan," he held out a hand to shake in another warm gesture in the air for her to shake.

She shook it, slowly starting to show trust.

"Shuzen Kokoa."

He looked back at the orange hair from earlier, still holding on to her disdainful behavior of Tsukune with her lips pouted and frown furrowed as if to scrutinize his person.

"Nice to meet you Kokoa-chan, I—"

"You mean, Kokoa-sama."

He blinked in bland surprise, taking the time to absorb the information given to him. Akasha was quick to react with a scold while grabbing the child's shoulder to face her. "Kokoa, show some respect!"

"But, Kaa-sama… He's a human," she whined in retort while pointing a finger at him, "He's just a servant, isn't he?"

"Kokoa!"

"Akasha, it's fine," the 'human' butted in between their bout with assurance, "They're just kids."

"KIDS?" the orange head yelped out incredulously, almost speechless at the "audacity" of the taller, yet lower life form in front of her, and then proceeded to bunch up her tiny fingers into fists to prepare herself to charge at him. "I'll show you ki—"

"KOKOA!"

The child flinched at the loud address and pouted angrily with an enraged glare at Tsukune. He only gave a small smile at her, an attempt at a possible treaty. Though, it was torn down easily with a return growl. Taking what he was given, Tsukune could only sigh while scratching the back of his head sheepishly at the energetic kid.

"Shuzen Moka."

The fingers stopped midway and slowly dropped down, allowing his face to turn towards the same silver hair after so many years back then. In those days … in those old begotten times. Along with those scarlet red irises, making a stark appearance.

The miniature belle nodded in a bow-like manner. The regality was there. It was obvious; she was, by every mannerism and angle, just like her mother, despite their differences in their personality.

Nodding in return, Tsukune answered back with the same bright and small smile despite the arrogant air she was giving off, "Nice to meet you, Moka-chan."

Looking back at Akasha's apologetic and anxiety-filled expression, he nodded and surveyed down the sleek length of the limousine before asking the vampiress, "So… the luggage?"

"All done, sir," a seedy tone voiced the presence of the chauffeur, surprising the owner of the establishment. "I've already set them on the porch for your ease, seeing that I have no knowledge of your home's interior."

Turning around, Tsukune saw the raised hand pointing towards the house. As if tracing back in the direction, there was already a small array of baggage neatly assorted next to the door in the said area.

"How in the—" his mouth started while keeping open, agape in shock at the speed of the work.

The suited servant grinned proudly as he craned his neck up to further his pride.

"All in a day's work, sir."

"Damien is a hard worker," Akasha pointed out with a careening smile, "He's been working for us since the 70's."

He whirled and stared back at the adult vampiress with a hard stare, questioning the statement to a good extent. But it slowly softened as his eyes unfurled hesitantly.

"I see."

The eyes darted back to see the same seedy chauffeur breaking out a disarming smile, yet ready to get back inside the limousine. There wasn't anything the individual could do, but nod slowly and unsurely at how awkward it is.

"So... Anything else?'

"No," the Shinso shook her head, allowing the ponytail to swish to the right and left, "But here's a note about everything you should know about each of them."

The soft pale fingers procured neat folded packets of paper, gesturing it towards Tsukune. He accepted the package with his callused digits.

There was a sad note in her tone, "I have to get going. They're waiting for me at the airport."

The emerald eyes flicked over towards the trio of children, then moving over to them as she slowly descended into a kneel while bringing her arms around them in a huddle.

"I've got to go now, girls. Be good to each other and Oji-san. Ok?" Akasha whispered softly at the midget three as the arms slowly closed the gap further into a hug.

"…Don't go, Mother."

Surprisingly it came from the most regal of the three. The silverette looked upon the matriarch with pleading eyes. The other two seemed to agree with like-visages at her. Tsukune grimaced at the scene, heart-breaking. The mere atmosphere in the area was almost an exact cut-out of a clichéd sad movie of a mother being separated from her children for their better life. While this was technically true, it wasn't exactly the same circumstance…

"It's only a month, dear," she soothed them with reassurance, "I promise."

There was nothing in rebuttal by these three girls. They were young. How would they understand in their age…?

Akasha rose from their level, folding her right palm over the back of her left hand as the knees straightened to prop her back up to normal standing posture.

Looking back up at Tsukune, her eyes were tender. There was a wavering weakness in them. Doubt. Sadness. Fear. All the signs of a mother leaving her children behind.

"I told you I'll take care of them, Akasha," he spoke towards her calmly with reassurance crawling between each word, "Don't worry about it."

The emerald eyes stuck onto his dark brown irises hesitantly. Still mirroring the same emotions, proving them a pain to pull off.

Yet, the moment passed and she closed them.

"Alright."

She smiled back, as if those emotions were something of the past. "I'll see you later. Bye."

"C'ya."

The engine hummed as Akasha disappeared inside the vehicle. And soon even the limousine disappeared down the slopes as the distance enveloped them into visual oblivion.

/

"It's a bit small," Tsukune apologetically opened the door towards the girls' designated room. "But I've tried the best I could for now."

Through the narrow doorway, lay an average sized square space furnished with a window on the middle of the right wall. Two shelves stood side by side of it while being laden with numerous dust-skinned books and age-weathered scrolls of all types. The left wall had a sliding door, which opened to a simple closet only to behold layers of blankets on top of each other to be utilized as simple bedding at night.

The reactions from each child differed.

"This is a room?" Kokoa was first voice out her opinion, albeit angrily at the injustice, "It's clo—"

"It's nice," Kahlua abruptly cut off her younger sister presenting her positive nature out in the open as if to envelope the orange-head's angry aura, "I really like it!"

"But—"

An austere tone rebuffed the youngest attempts, "Shut up, Kokoa."

Her mouth hung in mid-word, frozen by Moka's direct order.

"Now, that's not a good word, Moka-chan."

The scarlet irises looked up at the doctor's disapproving visage, surprised at the attempt to discipline her, regardless of how light it seemed.

"Say sorry to Kokoa, alright?"

The silverette furrowed her silver brows at the polite command. The surge of rebellion was evident in her face as she hesitantly complied. It would seem that she'd say otherwise—

"No."

She refused. Causing her sisters to stare at her for her defiance, and then slowly looking over at Tsukune to examine his reactions.

"And why not?" he asked calmly.

"I don't want to."

There was an uncomfortable silence. The quartet stood there frozen. Kahlua and Kokoa flicked their eyes between the adult and child, keeping an eye on who'd react first after this pause. Moka could only stare at the man's bland visage looking back at her, blooming even further discomfort on her side as she slowly clenched her tiny fists and tried to reposition her footing. Slowly leaning to one foot and then the other as she looked back down at the wooden plated floor.

Looking up, she could only see a tender face reflecting back at her…

"Hrmph!"

The vampire child spun around and exited the room on her own, leaving her sisters and the adult to themselves in the designated space.

"Wait, Onee-sama!" Kokoa hurriedly followed suit as she disappeared into the hallway with footsteps resounding against the wooden floor.

But before the child left, she gave the courtesy of childishly jutting out her tongue at him. Then she was gone. Now it was just Kahlua and he.

"This is going to be a long month, isn't it?" Tsukune sighed.

/

_**Side Story: Rosario + Zero**_

He can hear it. The immature screams of a babe filled the halls as the sun started to descend into the never-ending trail of mountains that surrounded the Shuzen Mansion. The room smelled heavy with anti-septic with beeps of machinery carefully monitoring Akasha's life signs.

"A baby girl," white-coated Tsukune spoke in hushed tones.

He held the child gingerly with the soft fabric of blankets wrapping her in a cocoon-like fashion. Gently, he gave the child into the pinkette's weak and trembling arms. The doctor held up his arms near the vampiress' arms in case if she were too weak to hold her. But his worries would needless as she was already cradling her child.

A smile grew on his face at the image. At least what it should've been from the start. No. There was panic. The baby didn't cry. Nor did it make any life-declaring noises, as it kept silent from its entrance into the world. Tsukune almost mistook this for stillbirth. He could still feel life in her. But it was feeble. She was dying.

He wasn't surprised by this development. No. They all were expecting it. But even then, Akasha cradled the babe to her face with tears trailing down her cheeks, crying. Undoubtedly it was difficult for a mother to experience such tragedy.

"I'm sorry."

Tsukune bowed down to both child and mother. He had failed them. No, from the start this was probably going to fail regardless. The test results were increasingly obvious from each screening. It was hard trying to have Akasha to cope with this. She shouldn't have to experience this.

"Sir," he heard one of Issa's assigned bodyguards address him, "we have a problem."

The white coat fluttered as he turned to see the young blonde look upon him with urgency. He hesitated. Looking back, the image did not change as Akasha continued to hold onto the babe. His hands tightened into fists, quaking now. But then he remembered he was needed somewhere.

"What is it?" Tsukune quietly inquired.

"We have intruders approaching here."

Irritation arose as he continued to look back, "Can't you take care of them?"

"I wouldn't be here if we couldn't," the guard curtly returned, "We have hostiles numbering about sixty. All of them are monsters."

That earned his complete attention as the human whipped his head towards the vampire with askance evident on his face. That couldn't be. Sixty monsters in one place? Something is wrong.

"What ranks are we talking about here?"

"Lowest is C. Highest… is S."

Something was horribly wrong. What could possibly move even a S-class Monster here?

"Do we still have someone tracking them? Anyone mobilized?" he continued to ask the blond tersely.

The room flashed with light that irradiated from the windows, and then disappeared. Then came the loud boom that reverberated the heavens above. The windows started to receive foreign droplets land on its transparent pane.

Very soon it would become drenched with the skies raining.

"Oh shit."

**So there we go. Finally got this chapter done. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll try to get to work on this again as soon as possible. That said thanks for reading.**


End file.
